Movie Countdown #20-11!

As promised, here's our countdown of the top 20 movies that celebrate female friendships!  Here's how we broke it down.  Together Mary and I picked 20 movies then divided the list up.  We then ranked our own lists from 1-10.  Here are our results!

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Christine's Picks

10. Mystic Pizza (1988)

Flashback to the 80’s!!  This film is where America first fell in love with Julia Roberts and led people on their own quest to find the perfect slice of pizza.  Mystic Pizza is a true bildungsroman, a coming-to-age story about female friends from blue collar Connecticut families.  There’s angst, failed attempts at first love, tragedy, and above all big hair.  This dramatic film will remind of you those times your friends were there for you to pick you up after your first heartbreak.  

 9. Muriel’s Wedding (1994)

O.K. So, this movie is kind of a downer at the beginning, but it does feature an ABBA song within the first ten minutes, some laudable 80’s fashions, and they all speak in Australian accents, so there’s that too.  Overall, I think most of us out there have felt like an outsider in one way or another.  Muriel is the outsider’s outsider.  She’s an anti-hero of sorts that you find yourself strangely rooting for.  Trust me, as the movie picks up and as Muriel finds herself it gets better, then kind of sad again, then really good.   Muriel’s story proves that a good friend can teach us to love ourselves just because they appreciate us.  It also teaches the pitfalls of wasting our sunshine where it’s not wanted.  So swing by Outback Steakhouse, grab a giant Foster’s beer or two, and find Muriel’s Wedding on Netflix.  

8.Waiting to Exhale(1995)

“Sometimes you’ll laugh sometimes you’ll cry/ Life never tells us the when’s or why’s/ When you’ve got friends to wish you well, you’ll find a point when you will exhale.” Sing it songstress, Whitney Houston.  These song lyrics pretty much sum up this amazing movie about powerful women.  Also, who doesn’t want to be Angela Bassett in the movie’s signature scene where she lights a car on fire and looks like Wonder Woman doing it.  This movie was Sex in the City before Sex in the City- granted it’s not set in NYC, but the problems and frank discussions about bedroom activities encountered by the main characters aren’t that different.  As an added bonus, Babyface helped create a soundtrack perfect for setting the tone for a night of gossip and sharing stories- of course interrupted by song breaks where everyone will belt out songs by the likes of TLC, Brandy, the incomparable Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Toni Braxton and of course Whitney herself.

7. Gentleman Prefer Blondes (1953)

 I think it’s safe to say that more of us have seen Madonna’s homage to this movie’s signature “Diamond’s Are a Girl’s Best Friend” number than the original and I have to say, if you are one of these women, you are missing out!!!!  Two little girls from Little Rock, Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell, portray two friends looking for love.  Monroe’s character, Lorelei, just has to behave long enough to get her beau’s wealthy father to give his blessing so the two can marry.  Fortunately, Lorelei has the help of Dorothy who does everything she can to keep her out of trouble.  Be prepared for iconic song and dance numbers, dazzling costumes, and zingy one-liners.

6. Thelma and Louise (1991)

 This is the film on our list that has garnered the most critical acclaim.  Both Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis were nominated for Oscars.  Where do you start with Thelma and Louise?  I think we all know a woman that resembles Thelma or Louise at the beginning of their journey. I don’t know about you, but I’ve thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if this woman who is already pretty cool had total control of her life and choices had a chance to just BE.” Thelma and Louise offers a cautionary/inspirational tale about what can happen when these women finally have their day.  It begs a variation of the eternal question, “Is it better to have loved yourself and lost, than never to have discovered what you are truly capable of?” Now, I know that I’m supposed to be focusing on female friendships, but I have to at least mention that watching Thelma and Louise also means watching a young Brad Pitt.  There I said it.  Back to the important stuff.  Also, after you see the ending you’ll understand a cultural reference.         

Mary's Picks

             

10. Whip It! (2009)

Hooray for a girls’ sports movie!  Bliss lives in a small town in Texas and is looking for something. She’s not really sure what, but the pageants her mother forces her into aren’t cutting it. While taking a trip to Austin, she discover the roller derby team the Hurl Scouts and finds a place where she feels herself. Between the companionship from her teammates and the support of her best friend Pash, Bliss finds some direction in her life. Besides, wouldn’t you want to be friends with Kristin Wiig and Drew Barrymore?

 9. Bend it Like Beckham (2002)

 More sports! More badass ladies being badass!   Jess and Jules have to overcome gender roles, cultural and familial expectations and accusations of lesbianism to find success in soccer, the sport that they love. And apparently necessary to a good girl movie, their friendship has to overcome a guy. Clichéd, I know, but the rest of the movie is empowering. Jules and Jess help each other to achieve their goals, to achieve greatness, to achieve what they know they are capable of despite the obstacles they face. After all, isn't this what a best friend does-help you to reach your full potential?

 8. A Little Princess (1995)

In our research for this list we discovered that there is an inexcusable lack of children’s movies that depict female friendships. Girls can be friends with inanimate objects or animals, even male characters, but not with each other. The Little Princess allows these little girls to bond. Sarah reminds us that we are all princesses no matter what. Sarah and Becky find each other and help each other through some truly heart-wrenching challenges, and like any good princess movie, they live happily ever after.

  

7. Bridesmaids (2011)

While Bridesmaids is touted as the female equivalent to The Hangover, the center of this movie has a lot more heart. There is nothing like a wedding to bring out the crazy in your friends and family, trust. At the center is the story of two lifelong friends who are going through some growing pains. When your best friend gets a new best friend, fear of the relationship changing can be difficult to overcome.  Kristin Wiig’s character deals with this with the total lack of grace that one would expect. But in between the bathroom humor are characters just trying to find their way back to each other within their new dynamic. The high-point of this film is a fantastic Wilson-Phillips sing-a-long!! Any movie with a big musical number is a total win in my estimation.

 6. The Help (2011)

I feel like this movie really highlights the change women can affect when we come together. In Jackson, Mississippi in 1963, Skeeter dreams of being a writer but has yet to find her inspiration. Between her relationship with her family’s African American housekeeper, Constantine, and her budding friendship with Aibileen, the African American housekeeper of her friend, Skeeter begins to notice the poor way these women are treated. Finding her inspiration, she begins to write the stories of these women and others in similar situations. It is the trust and respect these ladies develop that is so inspiring.  They join together to put a stop to inequalities and make things better for future generations.
 

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So, here is the list for now!  Hope we covered some of your faves, but our favorites are yet to come.  We'll post our next 10 picks next week. Can't wait to hear your feedback.